Car-coupling



(No Model.)

1 F. T. RUSSELL.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 485,061.- Patented Oct. 25, 1892.

INVENTOR:

W/TNESSES:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS T. RUSSELL, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 485,061, dated October 25, 1892.

Application filed February 19, 1892. Serial No, 422,096. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS T. RUssELL, of Minneapolis, in the county of I-Iennenin and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oar-Couplers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in car-couplers, and has for its object to provide a coupler capable of being set in such a manner as to automatically couple with an opposing coupler.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the draw-head that the link may be supported in a horizontal position, and, further, to so locate and construct the supporting mechanism of the link that it will be brought into action immediately upon the lowering of the coupling-pin.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawlngs, forming a part of this specification, 1n wh chsimilar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section taken through two opposed couplers, practically upon the line 1 l of Fig. 2, and illustrating themannerin which a couplingis effected. Fig. 2 1s a plan view of the opposed couplers, shown 1n Fig. 1, the coupling-pins being in sectlon, as indicated by the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; and F1g. 3 is afront elevation of the improved coupler, the link being in cross-section, as indicated by the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The draw-head A is adapted to be located beneath a car in the ordinary manner, and may be attached to the car through the med1um of any of the devices usually employed for that purpose.

The draw-head is provided with a link-opening in its front face. The side walls of this link-opening are made to diverge from the outer face of the draw-head inward, and the top and bottom Walls of the said opening are inclined one upward and the other down- Ward, also in direction of the inner portion of the draw-head. Thus the link-opening 10 may be said to be practically wedge-shaped.

Thelink-opening 10 is bisected by a pinaperture 11, which extends through from top to bottom of the draw-head, and the pin 12, adapted to be located in the said aperture, is preferably circular in cross-section, and is provided at a point between its center and lower end with a recess 13, as is best shown in Fig. 1. A housing 14 is erected upon the upper face of the draw-head immediately over the aperture in which the coupling-pin has movement, and in opposite walls of the housing vertical slots or slideways 15 are produced, in which slots or slideways an arm 16 is located, the said arm being secured in any appropriate mannerto thecoupling-pin at or near its upper end. The arm 16 extends beyond both ends of the coupling-pin and beyond the outer slotted faces of the housing, and the said arm at its outer ends is provided with weights 17, attached thereto, the said weights acting normally to maintain the coupling-pin in its lower or coupling position. The coupling-pin has attached at its upper end one end of a chain 18. This chain extends upward through the top of the housing over a pulley 19, journaled in the latter, and also over pulleys 20 and 21, attached to the end of the car. The chain may be led upward to be operated from the top of the car, and outward to be manipulated from the side, or the chain may be provided with branches, whereby the coupling-pin 12 may be elevated either from the top or the sides of a car.

' In the lower wall of the link-opening 10 a recess 22 is made, the said recess being preferably located near the front wall of the open ing, and the recess is adapted to receive a shoe 23, capable when in its lower position, of being flush with the lower wall of the opening, or practically so. The shoe has attached thereto or formed integrally therewith a downwardly-extending stem 24, whereby the shoe, including its stem, may be said to be substantially -T shaped, and the lower end of the stem of the shoe is pivotally attached to the forward end of a lever 25, fulcrumed beneath the draw-head, the lever being pivoted at or near its center in such a manner as to admit of the rear end of the lever extending rearward beneath the coupling-pin aperture 11, as is best shown at the left in Fig. 1. \Vhen the coupling-pin is in its lower or coupling position, the lower extremity of the pin bears upouthe" inner" end of the lever 25 in such manner as to compel the shoe 23 to move vertically upward and remain in a position at an elevation above the base-wall of the link-aperture 10, as best indicated at the right in Fig. 1. The elevation of the shoe-is such that it will hold the link 26, with which it is intended to engage, in a horizontal position, so that it will be directed to properly enter the link-opening of an opposed draw-head, and the said link is maintained inv such horizontal position. After the pin is raised it is desirable that it should be held in its elevated position in order that a coupling may be effected with an opposing draw-head, and it is further desirable that when two draw-heads are brought together the coupling-pin will be automatically released from: itslatoh and suffered to drop to a-coup'ling. position. Tothat end an angular-latch 27 is held to'slid-ein' the top of the draw-head in suitable chamber formed therein, and one endof: thislatchis held normally in engagementwith the'eoupling pin through the medium of a spring 28 of any approved formation. The latch is preferably provided with a recess 29, which norin'all'yrecei-ves abolt 30, ,hel'dto'slide upon the topof'the draw-head, which bolt is pressedby' asprin'g, preferably by aportion of thesp-ring'28. Fhe bolt 30' may be drawn out of engagement with the latch 29 through the medium of a: lever 31 and a link or links 32, connected. with. the bolt and with the lever. The lever 31 may be of the elbow type, and when so formed one end extends vertically upward in the path of the chain 18-,util-ized to elevatethe couplingpin. In fact the chain passes through. an opening in this lever, and when the pin has been raised a proper distance the lever is operated by a: button 33', attached to the chain,

which at that tiniewill be brought iii engagement with the lever.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated a lever as practically straight, and the connection between the bolt and the lever is made by three pivotally-connected links.

In the operation of the coupling the coup-.

ling-pin is drawn upward by the manipulation of the chain 18,.and when the button 33 comes in engagement with the lever 31, as heretofore stated, the coupling-pin: will be at its elevated position; and by moving-'thelever out in direction of the side of the c'ar'the bolt 30 is disconnected from the recess 29- in the latch 27 and the spring 28 will act upon. the latch to force it into the recess 13 in the I coupling-pin, as shown at the left in Fig.1, as the said recess will be inposition to re ceive the latch. When the link of the opposed draw-head enters the link-opening in the draw-head having the elevated couplingpin, the outer ends of the latches 27 will enigage with the draw-head of the opposed couple'r, and the said latch will be forced inward, thus freeing the coupling-pin from the latch and permitting the latter to" drop by its own gravity downward into its openingll and through the link26. It will be understood that when the inner end of the latch enters the recess 13 in the coupling-pin the outer end of the latch will extend beyondthe outer face of the draw-head a distance equivalent to the depth of the recess.

It will thus be observed that the car-coupler is not only simple,

durable, and economic in construction, but

that when set it will couple automatically with an opposed coupler, and, further, that the link will be at all times supported in a horizontal position when the coupler, is in connection with an opposed coupler, and whereby, also, the coupling-pin will be automatically released the inomen-tthat twodraw-heads are brought in engagement- H Having: thus described my invention, I

claim as new and. desire to secure by Letters- Pate'ntv V 1. Thecombination, with adra'w-hea'd, of a coupling-pin held to slide in the draw-head and a shoe located in the link-opening ofthe draw-head andv operated from the couplingpin, substantially as shown and described.

2. l he combination, with a; draw-head and the coupling-pin thereof, of a shoe held to slide vertically in the link-opening of the draw-head and a lever connection between the shoe and the coupling-pin, as and for the purpose set" forth. H

3-; Ina car-coupler, the combination, with a draw-head and its couplingpin, of a sip-ringpressed angular latch held to slide in; the draw-head and engaging the coupling-pinto hold. it elevated, said latch being provided with a recess, and a spring-pressed bolt in the front of the draw-head and adapted to engage the recess of the latch to hold it out of engagement with the coupling-pin, substantially as herein shown and; described.

4. In a car-coupler, the combinatiomwith the draw-head and a coupling-pin held to slide in the draw-head, weights attached to the upper end of the coupling-pi-m-and an elevating mechanism connected with: the said pin,-of a spring-controlled latch, the inner end of which 'isadapted for constant engagement with the coupling-pin, and a bolt acting in conjunction with the latch, substantially as and for the purpose specified. I

Ina car-coupler, the combination, with a draw-head and a weighted coupling-pin having movement in the draw-head and provided with a slot near one end, of a shoe having vertical movement in thelink-opening of the draw-head, a: lever connection between the shoe and the coupling pin when the latter is in its lower position, a spring-controlled latch, one end of which is in constant engagement with the coupling-pin, and a spring-controlled bolt operating in conjunction with the latch,

v as and for the purpose specified.

6. In a car-coupler, the combination, with a draw-head and a-wei gh-te'd pinhavin g vertical movement in the draw-head and provided with a recess in one face between the center and its ends, of a mechanism for elevating the coupling-pin, a shoe capable of vertical movement in the link-chamber of the drawhead, a lever connection between the shoe and the link, a latch having sliding movement in the top of the draw-head, the inner end of which latch is in constant engagement with the c0up1ing-pin,a bolt engaging with the latch, and a means, substantially as shown and described, for operating the bolt when to the coupling-pin is at its highest or elevated position, as and for the purpose specified.

FRANCIS T. RUSSELL. Witnesses:

HERBERT B. AITKENS, J. CHAPMAN. 

